“As time passes, people, even of the South, will begin to wonder how it was possible that their ancestors ever fought for or justified institutions which acknowledged the right of property in man. He was too gentle and good tempered and besides he was not a slavery man.”ĭuring the Civil War his views evolved, and in his Memoirs he stated: Initially more ambivalent he wrote in 1863: “I never was an abolitionist, not even what could be called anti-slavery…”.Įven when working on his father-in-law’s farm and owning William, it was said: Grant’s own views on slavery were more complex. After a year he freed him, for no recompense even though Grant was in dire financial straits.Ĭoming from an abolitionist family, his father didn’t approve of Grant’s slave owning in-laws. Grant briefly owned a slave before freeing himĭuring his time living with his father-in-law’s family, who were slave owners, Grant came into possession of a man named William Jones. ![]() There are no reported occurrences of him drinking inappropriately during his presidency and world tour, and scholars generally agree that he never made any major decisions whilst drunk. Petraeus (Ret.) In this thorough and engaging new book, Ronald C. Grant, American Ulysses is a monumental examination of one of the most compelling figures in American history. He wrote to his wife swearing that he had been sober when allegations arose of him being drunk during the Battle of Shiloh. As much as possible the chapter divisions used here match the headings given by Grant for each chapter. Real Clear Books Certain to be recognized as the classic work on Ulysses S. Grant, the 18th President of the United States, focused mainly on his military career during the MexicanAmerican War and the American Civil War, and completed as he was dying of throat cancer in 1885. Grant is a popular abridgment of his two-volume Personal Memoirs, which he arranged to have published to provide for his. It is likely that he did indeed have a problem, but managed it enough that it did not affect his duties. It is true that he resigned from the army in 1854, and Grant himself said that: “intemperance” was a cause.ĭuring the Civil War newspapers often reported on his drinking, though the reliability of these sources is unknown. He has a reputation as a drunkīoth in contemporary and modern media, Grant has been stereotyped as a drunkard. He eventually stayed on after four years, in part to support his wife and family. Grant certainly does not have the typical war hero back story. However he also wrote of military life that: “there is much to dislike, but more to like”. Indeed he later wrote a letter to a friend saying that leaving both the Academy and the presidency were amongst the best days of his life.
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